Anopheles Attack

MALARIA: Where it's found and how to keep yourself healthy! Malaria is preventable! All deaths due to malaria are preventable!

Malaria is a fatal but curable disease that is caused by the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito. Malaria is caused by one of four protozoan species of the genus plasmodium: 1) Plasmodium Falciparum 2) Plasmodium Vivax 3) Plasmodium Ovale 4) Plasmodium Malarie

The female Anopheles mosquito injects the infective sporozite plasmodium forms which multiply in the liver cells and become hepatic shizonts that rupture and release merozoites into the bloodstream. Malaria begins immediately after incubation, which can differ from one Plasmodium species to another, usually 6-30 days.

Other ways to contract: 1) Blood transfusion 2) Hypodermic syringe sharing 3) Mother to fetus

Malaria is prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa! Malaria is very prevalent in Benguela, Angola and is the number one cause of child mortality under the age of five. Where there is warmth and water, there are mosquitoes!

The only malaria free zones are North America, Europe and Australia!

How to Protect Yourself: 1) Prevent the breeding of mosquitoes near your living space by covering pools of stagnant water, wells, open containers, latrine and garbage. 2) Prevent yourself from being bitten by: - Wearing long sleeves/clothes that cover your entire body - Use insect repellent on exposed skin (DEET works well, but is highly toxic) - Sleep under mosquito nets - Dwell in well-screened areas -Anopheles mosquitoes are nocturnal feeders. Transmission occurs between dusk and dawn. Avoid being outdoors at these times. - Use a parathyroid- containing flying insect spray in living and sleeping areas (once again, these are highly toxic) - Take your malaria medication before, during and after traveling as prescribed by a doctor -If bitten know the symptoms and seek early treatment

Symptoms: - Fever - Chills - Headache -Lethargy -Body Pain - Muscular Aches - Nausea -Diarrhea -Vomiting * Treat the symptoms of Malaria early because Placsmodium Falciparum infections can cause Kidney failure, coma and death.

For more information regarding Malaria, contact the Malaria Hotline at 404.332.4555

The above is a presentation that I gave today for volunteers preparing to go to Zambia, Angola, Mozambique and Namibia. I'm in the process of translating this presentation into Portuguese so that I can present it to people in my community in Benguela. It will be difficult though. Not because of the language barrier, but because I don't know how to seriously look at a group of people who have lost their children and loved ones to Malaria and tell them something they already know, and have no control over. There is no money for mosquito nets, there is no money for pills, there is no money for fancy sprays and there is no money for screens. I am looking into mosquito net alternatives, I am looking into natural mosquito repellents, but it looks bleak. If anyone has any helpful hints or tips, please let me know..... Muito Obrigada!

IICD August Team

Time is flying. I guess that's just what happens when you spend months in relative seclusion from the outside world on an international commune in the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts.

Six months. It takes six months of course work, fundraising and study to become a Development Instructor. Six months, until we get our tickets to our various countries in Africa in our eager little hands. Now we, the August team are next...

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We just said goodbye to the May Team. They are off to Mozambique, Malawi or South Africa (depending on their assignments). It's so weird because they were just starting when I arrived in July. Now we have a new team coming, the November Team and my team has approximately three months left. Time goes by so quickly.

This week-end was another building week-end and we winterized our facility. Plastic is covering the windows and the bases of the buildings have been wrapped in insulation. This is just in time because today has been COLD! Definitely around forty degrees.

This week I'll be preparing for fundraising trip number three to New York City. Yay, I get to go back home to New York. Hopefully it will be a money maker! I've been so lucky about my fund-raising cities. D.C./Maryland where my grandfather, mother and extended family are, Rochester where my father and childhood friends are, now New York, my home for the last eight years, home to my friends, and favorite places.

EPF Benguela- It's Official!

I just received my official job description.From February 2008- August 2008, I'll be working at the Escola de Profesores do Futuro em Benguela ( school for future teachers of benguela). The focus of the school is to train teachers from the primary schools in rural areas. The education is progressive in its approach and rigorous. I'll be responsible for teaching some of the following courses (in Portuguese) : English, Mathematics, Science, Communications, The World Today, Angola Today, Geography, History, Arts, Economics, Philosophy of Education, Didactic, Pedagogy, Psychology, Ethics, Sociology and School Administration. (Needless to say, I think I'll leave the Math to someone else!) I'll also be doing Political Theatre Workshops, Gardening Club, Health Club and English Club (where i'll teach English through popular songs ;0) ) and depending on how my studies go, I may hold HIV/AIDS and Malaria prevention workshops (time will only tell).

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back on the Mountain

I was happy to be able to touch base with some friends from college in Buffalo though. We also took a quick little side trip to the Canadian side of the Falls. I'm back on the mountain now. There is almost nobody here. Three teams are still out fund-raising. Today was just fantastic! I began the day with a hike through the woods with Jai and J.T.

We discovered a new trail and hiked for about three hours uphill. It was so beautiful outside. I love Sundays, my commune with nature days. We sang Broadway show tunes as we hiked.

Open Sushi bar was our dinner. A group of our Japanese volunteers got together to make dinner. Can you say delicious! Then to end the day off right, Tracy, Iliana, Jai and I had an interactive RENT the movie viewing party. We sang, we danced, we delivered powerful monologues… It was a Tony award-winning scene.

Fundraising Trip Two is Closed

We arrived back on the mountain this morning at 4:30am. The drive was a blur, I just remember being stopped halfway up the mountain because an enormous tree fell across our path. Poor Sergio had to get out and toss it to the side so that we could continue our way up our two-mile driveway to get home. I spent the night alone for the first time since I moved to haunted Brook House. Tamika my roomie was still in Virginia. I didn’t really sleep until six when the sun came out. I was also greeted with a ladybug infestation. About 100 (literally) dead ladybugs were scattered across our room and maybe twenty were flying/crawling around. Yep. We all know how I feel about bugs, ladybugs are no exception.

All in all, my team did really well in Rochester/Buffalo. We exceeded goal ;0-) We finished last night with a concert at Starry Night Café in Rochester. My friend Liza performed a little benefit concert for us. Much obliged Eliza. I can’t get over how absolutely beautiful Western Mass is in autumn.

Today we had a special program presented by the May team. They are almost finished with their six month training period and will be leaving in another week ;0( So before each team goes, they need to plan an unforgettable evening and today was their day. We had a concert this afternoon by a punk/folk/ bluegrass band called Bread and Roses. It was really cool. I now want to learn to play the Mandolin and the Ukulele (I’ll put that on my post-Angola checklist).

Afterwards, we had a candy hunt in our woods. Mind you we are on acres and acres of woods and the candy was spread so far out. I only found four pieces. I fell twice (flip flops are no good on moist leaves and branches). Then there was hot apple cider and pumpkin pie. At eight o’clock we had our haunted trail walk. We have this really creepy trail that’s like forty minutes long and I only walk it when it’s really really bright outside but today in the rainy dark chilly weather we went in.

Alarm

My ears are buzzing. I set off the ADT alarm system at my house about forty minutes ago when I arrived home from fundraising. Everyone is out and I haven't lived here since high school so I couldn't remember the code. It was terrible. There were lights and the noise kept changing decibels and I couldn't cut it off. I have such a headache right now. It took the police about 20 minutes to arrive, just to say they could do nothing. Luckily my driver's licence matches my home address otherwise I'd be in the back of a squad car right about now. So the officer is in the house trying to figure out how to cut the power to silence the screaming machine and suddenly, after a half an hour of agony, it hit me, I remembered the code. I punched it in and there was sweet silence. The officer looked at me like I was an idiot, which, well...um...er... Fundraising was a success my team is on the right track we move on to Buffalo tomorrow until Friday.

Ah, Buffalo, New York, the city where I attended undergrad. This trip has been a blast from the past. The weather is beautiful again I'm ready to finish strong.

Door to door

Todayinstead of going to Buffalo Makiko and I tried a new technique two person door to door in Rochester and it worked like a charm we did so well. We basically walked around the East Avenue/Goodman/Park Avenue/University neighborhoods going door to door from 10:30-7pm and fund-raised. I had to do most of the talking. Makiko is still improving her English, she's from Japan. But we were a great team. She held out her bucket and flipped to the pages in the binder as I spoke.

Buffalo

AAAgh! I'm so tired! Today was our first day fundraising in Buffalo and it wasn't so great. It was cold and people weren't too friendly or in the mood to donate money.

We're still staying in Rochester due to the fact that we haven't been able to secure housing which is great for me cause I'm staying at home in a familiar bed, with good food that I don't have to fund-raise and the ability to catch-up with childhood friends.

Today we made great strides in our food fundraising efforts. Krispy Kreme donated two dozen donuts to us this morning. And i'm afraid to say, that the four of us ate them all, a half of a dozen each. There is something so alluring about that hot glazed goodness.

Then we fundraised diner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls. We have a Brazillian and a Japanese on our team who had never been to the falls and they really wanted to go and since we weren't exactly making money today anyhow, our team leader decided it was time for a mini-excursion. We toured the American and the Canadian sides. It was cold, but relaxing. Long drive home, which brings me back to the beginning and being tired...

I've Been Spooked!

I am delirious right now. Want to know why? I’ve been haunted. Day three of sleeping alone in my haunted room and I had a supernatural experience. I am completely serious. Here are the hard facts:

Last night around 12:30 am I went to bed. I sleep on top of my bed in a sleeping bag now that I am alone because I get maximum coverage and it's easy for me to burrow and hide in the event of an occurrence...

So, I'm in bed, lights are off, I'm holding my flashlight and I'm trying to go to sleep, all of a sudden, my fan on the nightstand next to my head turns on. I didn't do it. My heart is pounding in my chest and I'm panicking under my sleeping bag and I'm afraid to look because I don't want to see what might be there. Then the fan goes off. Then it comes back on again. Then my bed begins to shake. It's like a slow rumbling quake. I'm freaking out. I'm still burrowed in my sleeping bag. Then it stops. I wait. All I can hear and feel is my heart beat.

Quickly, I jump out of bed, run to the light-switch across the room and turn on every light in my room. My bed is slanted on an angle, but I see nothing else unusual. I spend the rest of the night (literally) awake in bed, with the lights on, the ladybugs buzzing, listening to my i-pod writing. I didn't sleep at all. It sucked!

And now to change the subject, I will be published in "About Time" magazine this November. I wrote a travel narrative about my experiences volunteering in Ghana and my upcoming project and it will be published. You can pick up a copy at your local news stand or online.

And now it's time for me to do my malaria research...

Careful What You Wish For

Fundraising in Rochester has actually been successful. Personally I have made goal for everyday that we've been here, granted one day I made seven dollars and another two hundred and seventy eight, but so it is. Well after my rant about the weather being oppressively hot hot hot, the weather decided to become cold cold cold. We dropped from almost 90 degrees to under 50 degrees in one day, literally. I was outside to observe the shift. It has been raining also, violent thunder and lightning storms. These are crazy times! I now have to walk around with a borrowed coat from my father since my coat is on the mountain.

I got my beads and jewelry back from Studio 34 and they were fantastic. It seems I am a natural jewelry maker/artisan. My glass blown beads were particularly beautiful. If anyone is ever in the Rochester area, you should really take a class at Studio 34 on Elton street (off of University), it's a great jewelry studio.

Alright, bringing on day number six of fundraising, wish me luck...

Second Round of Fundraising- Rochester/Buffalo (The Western NY Chapter)

Fundraising part II. So far so good. Individually I've had a lot of success and am way over goal. As a team, we are under goal though :-(. I'm very lucky to be able to stay at my own house this time around instead of the accommodations provided for the team because the accommodations are sketchy at best. Once again, the team went onto globalfreeloaders.com, but instead of a nice family home with two spare bedrooms D.C. style, they ended up with an abandoned house in an undesireble neighborhood in the City of Rochester. The building looks like a former crack den- Yikes!

We've been in front of Wal-Mart for the last two days and the people have been so receptive. Problem: It's October and in being autumn, the weather should be a nice mild 60-70 degrees, so why, please someone tell me is it almost 90???? It's so hot! It's too hot! I've had enough heat, enough of being outside in the scorching sun. I've got about five different erratic tan lines. I'm going to turn into a wrinkled old lady called Magda soon. Enough is enough! I'm ready to wear a sweater and romp through the leaves. My tantrum ends here!

Studio 34 in Rochester's Generous Donation

Special thanks to Studio 34 in Rochester for allowing me to learn to make jewelry. I've had so much fun creating beads out of glass and learning the ins and outs of jewelry making. I feel ready to begin planning my income generating project. It will, surprise, surprise, involve making jewelry, bracelets, necklaces and earrings.